Ugandan Government, Rebels Renew Truce

Uganda's government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army have renewed a landmark truce, spurring hopes for peace talks aimed at ending a brutal 20-year war.

The sides announced the new agreement Wednesday at the site of the peace talks in southern Sudan's regional capital, Juba.

A previous truce signed in August has largely held despite each side accusing the other of various violations. That pact had technically expired last month.

The French Press Agency reports the rebels have re-committed to gathering at two neutral sites in southern Sudan while negotiations for a peace deal continue.

Two decades of fighting have ravaged northern Uganda, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing well over a million into displaced persons camps. More than 300,000 of those people have recently returned home as relative calm settled over the area.

The government and the rebels still have to overcome several major issues, including war crimes charges filed against five top rebel leaders by the International Criminal Court.